Shubha Mudgal feels the battle between pop and classical is hyped, the challenge is for every form of music to reach its listeners

Mona

Music is a lifelong learning, believes Hindustani classical music and Indian pop singer, composer Shubha Mudgal. And, she finds herself fortunate to have taken this road less travelled. She has devoted her life to live concerts, writing, composing, researching and teaching music.

In Chandigarh, on Sunday, for a live concert Rang Hori at CII, organised by Elsewhere Foundation, the recipient of Padma Shri, talks about her journey. “ The abundance of music related to Holi makes it one of the most attractive festivals for students of music like me. While I grew up in the city of Allahabad (Prayagraj) playing Holi with abeer-gulal, it was the music associated with the festival that proved to be an eye-opener to the magnificent diversity and variety of Indian culture. There are so many ragas and compositions for Basant and Holi, one can just go on…,” opens up Shubha, who is in the city after almost a decade. “I have performed at various venues, for different organisations, it’s always lovely to come back to Chandigarh.”

Daughter of educationist parents, Shubha not only got exposure to classical music but also guidance and strength from her family to pursue it. “Seeing that music made me truly happy, my mother asked me to take my time to decide if music is all that I wanted to pursue. I realised that music gave me true joy. Even though I was not born in a music gharana, my gurus bestowed their knowledge on me with an unmatched generosity and parents supported me fully, giving me the final push to pursue music for life.”

Music, or any form of art, can help people, especially children to attune to the post-Covid world, and Shubha urges all to come together for this. “Music can do wonders to help children sensitise, and for this not just teachers but also parents have to come forward along with the government and schools. Till the music teachers’ role is relegated to January 26 and August 15 functions, are paid less compared to other teachers, we wouldn’t be able to reap benefits that it can offer,” says Shubha. “Any form of art can be helpful in the holistic development of a child, if some of them want to pursue it further, they can find their guru.”

Shubha makes a strong case for the guru-shishya parampara. “The guru-shishya parampara is like a customised course designed to the specific needs of an individual. I love to teach, and learn along the way.”

Shubha pursues both Hindustani classical and pop music but doesn’t mix both in a particular concert. However, she stands for all kinds of music. “Today, thanks to technology, we have access to all kinds of music. But unfortunately, we are not even aware of the diverse music tradition of India. The battle is not between pop and classical, but for every form of music to reach its listeners.”

To those inclined to be musicians, she says, “This field requires reverence towards art and hardwork, not for a year or two, but for life. Hamein to kala se ishq hai – yeh aag ka dariya hai, hum to doob ke jayengen”.

Having given hits like Ab Ke Sawan and Ali More Angana, Shubha also writes on music. She writes some regular columns and has also penned a fictional book called Looking for Miss Sargam: Stories of Music and Misadventure. “My musical journey has offered many interesting insights that I wanted to share with the world, but I was not a trained writer. I have worked on it and am working on my next book that is based on my music research and various projects that I have been associated with.”

Shubha has lately sung Jug Jug Jeeve in Badhaai Ho. What keeps the National Award winner for Best Non-Feature Film Music Direction for Amrit Beej (1995) away from film music? “There have been masters in the field. I have nothing against working in the industry but it’s only once in a while I get work that I enjoy and I am happy to do it.”

Elsewhere Foundation strives to create conversations between different art forms and people from across the country through curated events, endorsed by established artists. Conceived in memory of Sangeet Natak award-winning playwright Swadesh Deepak, it attempts to bring on centre stage myriad creative expressions, showcasing a constantly evolving Indian cultural landscape. Rang Hori was an initiative in that direction.